title: Localization of abasic sites and single-strand breaks in mitochondrial DNA from brain of aged rat, treated or not with caloric restriction diet.
abstract: According to the "mitochondrial theory of aging" the lifelong accumulation of various kinds of damage to mitochondrial DNA (mtDNA) has been related to the age-dependent mitochondrial bioenergetic dysfunction. Caloric restriction (CR) diet is able to prevent or delay the onset of several age-related damages to mtDNA. The effects of aging and CR on the presence of abasic sites and single-strand breaks of the sugar-phosphate backbone in mtDNA have been analyzed by applying Ligation Mediated-PCR to a H strand region of brain mtDNA from young and old ad libitum-fed and old CR-treated rats. The region, encompassing the Direct Repeat 1 of the 4,834 bp-long deletion, is highly damaged in the old ad libitum-fed animals with respect to the young ones, whereas in the CR rats it shows a much lower extent of damage. The data confirm, at single nucleotide resolution, the protective effect of CR on the age-related mtDNA damage.
authors.affiliation: Department of Biochemistry and Molecular Biology Ernesto Quagliariello, University of Bari, Via Orabona, 4, 70125, Bari, Italy.
authors.forename: A M S
authors.initials: AM
authors.lastname: Lezza
authors.forename: F P
authors.initials: FP
authors.lastname: Fallacara
authors.forename: V
authors.initials: V
authors.lastname: Pesce
authors.forename: C
authors.initials: C
authors.lastname: Leeuwenburgh
authors.forename: P
authors.initials: P
authors.lastname: Cantatore
authors.forename: M N
authors.initials: MN
authors.lastname: Gadaleta
mesh_terms: D000375:Aging / Q000378:metabolism*; D000818:Animals; D001345:Autoradiography; D001483:Base Sequence; D001921:Brain / Q000378:metabolism*; D031204:Caloric Restriction; D004249:DNA Damage; D017931:DNA Primers; D004277:DNA, Single-Stranded / Q000378:metabolism*; D008297:Male; D016133:Polymerase Chain Reaction; D051381:Rats; D011916:Rats, Inbred F344
chemical_list: D017931:DNA Primers; D004277:DNA, Single-Stranded